Demographic Transition

One of the most significant occurrences of this century has been the drastic decline in many countries of tragically high death and birth rates. In this collection, leading demographers, anthropologists, sociologists, and historians examine the causes of this transition and the reasons why many other countries have not followed suit.

The global transformation in the number of children women bear has been one of the most remarkable changes in social behaviour in the twentieth century. The search for explanations of the causes in childbearing behaviour, and particularly in the values attached to children, remains a central research preoccupation of population scientists. This book explores the dimensions of values identified as significant in their impact on fertility decisions. It offers a range of perspectives on a mosaic of values perceived to be of importance in influencing the bearing and caring of children. The book examines the macro and micro theories of the value of children, and considers the multi-dimensional nature of value change. The chapters explore the nature of the mechanisms by which value change may serve to reinforce or promote the ideational essence of change and the impact of pressures for change. It is observed that gender, religion, and culture, all function as complementary lenses through which the necessity of value maintenance or modification is viewed. The book concludes that fertility behaviour is value-driven, but that fertility change is not necessarily driven by value change. The values of most significance to fertility are more fundamental and general values, rather than explicit 'fertility values'.

Review of Major Explanations of Fertility Transition Fertility Determinants in Developing Countries An Empirical Model of the Fertility Transition for Contemporary LDCs Extending the Model: Endogenizing Family Planning Program Effort Regression Diagnostics Realigning the Sample Analysis of Residuals An Eclectic Model of the Fertility Transition Conclusions Appendix A: Data Appendix B: Influence Diagnostics

Examines the debate on how population growth affects national economies and synthesizes current research on the topic. The authors, led by Harvard economist David Bloom, conclude that population age structure, more than size or growth per se, affects economic development, and that reducing high fertility can create opportunities for economic growth if the right kinds of educational, health, and labor-market policies are in place. The report also examines specific regions of the world and how their differing policy environments have affected the relationship between population change and economic development.

This volume studies the process of transition from high to low fertility as it has occurred and is occurring in Latin America. It provides a general comparative overview of transition in the region in which the link between socio-economic development and declining fertility is explored. There are sections on the process through which the transition occurs, social determinants of fertility change, and the consequences of fertility decline. The comparative analyses are complemented by five individual country studies.

This study addresses the dramatic decreases in mortality and fertility--the "demographic transition"--that took place across France in the nineteenth century. It examines the roles of internal migration, urbanization, education, and the changing economic, sanitary, and social environment in this process. Its conclusions question the place traditionally assigned to France in European fertility decline.